University of Michigan Library Catalog: MIRLYN
The University of Michigan’s library system wanted to create an on-the-go option for users of their card catalog. One of the problems users encountered was that they had to have a PC or laptop to access the catalog. There were only a limited number of machines in the library itself, so if a user wanted to access the catalog from the within the library, they either had to wait for a machine to become available, or fire up their laptop and log in. The mobile option streamlined this process and made it easy to find library resources.
One of the creative strategies that we experimented with was the metaphor of the card catalog; a wooden cabinet with a number of small drawers in it. We dismissed this concept because it didn’t translate well to the mobile space. Also, as our user research revealed, very few college-age users of card catalogs have any experience with the physical wood cabinets.
